SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on June 15, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Hagerstown Suns (41-25) at West Virginia Power (21-46)

Game 68 | June 15, 2012 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: ESPN Radio 104.5 FM & 1490 and wvpower.com Air Time- 6:45 pm

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

LH Bobby Hansen Jr. (No Record) vs. RH Matt Benedict (4-4, 3.66)

Hansen Jr.: Making first SAL start of 2012 (2-2 with a 5.85 ERA for High-A Potomac over 9 games)

Benedict: Surrendered 11 R (7 ER) on 9 H with 0 K and over 3.2 IP in 6/10 Loss @ ASH (13-3 ASH)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia lost 8-6 to Hagerstown on Thursday. The Power held a 2-0 lead after one inning on home runs by Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco. The Suns evened the score in the second and added three in the fourth for a 5-2 lead. West Virginia then rallied for four in the fourth, including two on a home run by Taylor Lewis, for a 6-5 advantage. In the seventh, Mike Jefferson walked the bases loaded and Caleb Ramsey tripled in all three runners for an Suns 8-6 lead. The Power managed just one other hit in addition to the three home runs and lost for the seventh time in the last ten games.

HOMER HAPPY: Thursday's game marked the first time this season that West Virginia hit three home runs in a game. The Power offense had hit two home runs in a single game a total of seven times this year.

HERE COME THE SUNS: West Virginia closes the first half of the 2012 season the same way it began the year; a series against Hagerstown. The Power trail in the all-time series 54-48, but are 23-19 against the Suns at Appalachian Power Park since the start of the 2005 campaign.

EVERYDAY WE'RE SHUFFLIN: Pittsburgh made a series of moves on Thursday, adding two familiar names and two fresh faces to the Power roster. Eric Avila spent the entire 2011 season with West Virginia and had played four games in a Power jersey this season. Wes Freeman has played 29 games for West Virginia over the course of the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Taylor Lewis and Ashley Ponce are making their South Atlantic League debuts after having spent the majority of the 2011 campaign on the State College Spikes roster. Avila, Lewis, and Ponce were in Extended Spring Training while Freeman appeared in 43 games for Bradenton, batting .147 with one home run, nine runs batted in, and 49 strikeouts in 150 at bats.

ALUMNI WATCH: Evan Chambers and Drew Maggi were promoted by the Pirates on Thursday from Bradenton to Altoona. Chambers played in 116 games in the Power outfield in 2010 and was batting .202 for the Marauders this year. Maggi appeared in 125 games in a West Virginia jersey last season and was .241 over 54 games for Bradenton this season.

THREE STARS HEADED TO ASG: The South Atlantic League announced the 2012 All-Star Game rosters last week and three Power players were selected, including two starters. Alen Hanson will start at second base despite the fact that he has not played there once this season, while Gregory Polanco was selected to start in right field. Like Hanson, Polanco has not played the position he is starting in at all this season. Matt Benedict was chosen as one of the 11 pitchers to represent the Northern Division team in the game to be played at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, SC, on July 19.

PROMO UPDATE- JUNE 15: West Virginia will hold Pink Power Night this evening against the Hagerstown Suns. The team will don pink jerseys that will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Komen for the Cure Foundation.

POWER POINTS: Carlos Mesa, Kirk Singer, and Junior Sosa were promoted to High-A Bradenton on Thursday while Francisco Aponte was transferred back to State College's roster... Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco became the first Power players to reach double digit home runs since the 2010 season... An American-Made Energy Rally will be held at Appalachian Power Park tomorrow. Gates will open at 2:30 pm and fans in attendance will get free admission to that night's game versus the Suns.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh dropped their third straight at Baltimore, falling 12-6... Indianapolis beat Charlotte 5-3... Altoona scored six in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 walk-off win over Trenton. Jarek Cunningham drove in the winning run with a double.. Bradenton shutout Fort Myers 6-0. Gerrit Cole pitched five scoreless innings in his fifth victory.

ON THE AIR: All 140 West Virginia Power games can be heard on ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, WV, across the state on the Power Radio Network, and online at milb.com. Adam Marco will call the action for each of the 70 home games this season, while the home team will provide coverage while the Power are on the road.

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 15, 2012


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